Someone Who Cares
by ZoneRobotnik
Summary: Danny Fenton is terrified of ghosts, but when he gets depressed enough that he attempts to end it all, will one ghost help him see a new perspective on life? And why does he feel so happy whenever he sees him? Will the appearance of a new enemy that threatens the Fenton family bring them closer? - Pitch Pearl AU, Danny and Phantom are separate people.
1. Ch1: Hope

Chapter One: Hope

_"__You're a coward, Fenton. You never stand up for yourself. We can't baby you forever."_

_"__Danny, your grades are slipping again! Jazz never lets her grades slip; you have to get ahold of yourself!"_

_"__Stop shoving your ridiculous theories on this poor, helpless child!"_

_"__I'm sure things'll get better soon."_

He'd had enough. When even his friends could do nothing but offer attempts at comfort and things _weren't getting better_, Danny Fenton had run away from it all and was curled up in the park in the center of Amity Park. He knew he'd be found and brought home sometime tonight, but he just needed to be alone for a bit.

Maybe if he was _lucky_ he'd be kidnapped by some pervert and forced into the sex trade. Maybe he'd actually be _good_ at something for once. He pulled up his coat sleeve to look at where his father had roughly grabbed his wrist, and then held his side where his relentless bully, Dash Baxter, had hit him harder than usual just because he didn't do his homework for him – and why did he expect him to, when he could barely do his own?

He looked up at the tall courthouse building across from the park and considered jumping. Before he knew it, his mind was taking over his body and he was climbing up the emergency stairwell to the roof, looking down at the city below.

And really, would anyone really care? Even his friends were starting to dismiss his frustrations and cries; they found him a waste of time, for sure. He sighed and let himself fall off the roof, his eyes closed. He just wanted it all to be over. The wind rushing through his hair felt nice, why didn't he do this sooner?

"Whoa, careful!" He heard a voice say, and then his fall was halted by…arms? The voice sounded like a distant echo, and his eyes widened to see bright-green eyes framed by white hair. "Geez, are you crazy? You could've died!"

"Uh…" Danny looked down and then around and realized they weren't on any kind of surface. They were floating – in the air – and his savior had a long, black tail trailing from his waist instead of legs. His minds started to panic. "G-Ghost!"

"Yeah, that's what YOU would be if I didn't step in." The ghost rolled his eyes and flew Danny down to the park, setting him down on the soft grass.

Danny stumbled as soon as he was set back and scrambled back on his bum. "Don't kill me! I'm not tasty!" He cried, covering his face with his arms.

The ghost raised a black eyebrow and shook his head. "Okay…one: that would be a VERY stupid reaction to a hostile ghost attack. Two: why the HELL did you just jump if you didn't WANT to die?!" He asked, forming legs and landing on the ground.

"Please don't kill me, Mr. Ghost…" Danny pleaded.

The ghost sighed and took off his cloak, wrapping it around the trembling teen. Underneath, he was wearing a black tunic and pants with white gloves, belt and boots. "Look, why don't you tell me about it? Why did you jump?"

Danny froze, all the reasons crashing down on him all at once. "I'm useless." He whispered, tears slipping down his cheeks. "I'm nothing. I'm stupid. No one likes me, no one wants to be with me, I'm too annoying, too whiny, too—" He gasped when his arm was gently pulled away from his tearful face and the ghost had his arms around the teen.

"And have you told anyone about these feelings? You know, a proper counselor? Or did you keep it bottled up and not tell anyone aside from the ones who were hurting you in the first place?" The ghost asked softly. "Oh, kid…there is so much to live for, you have to realize that people's opinions of you are not your biggest concern. What matters is how YOU feel about yourself."

Danny's eyes widened and he looked at the ghost silently. Did this ghost…care about him? Why did he care? Why wasn't he killing him? Why was he hugging him? And why hadn't Danny gone into shock like he normally did when attacked by a ghost?

The ghost started to pull away and Danny grabbed his arm. "W-Wait." He breathed. "Don't…don't leave me."

The ghost frowned, looking towards a glowing figure flying above. "I have to. Otherwise HE will hurt people again." He stood up, pulling Danny up with him. "You should get home. And remember, someone does care about you, and as long as you love yourself then nothing anyone can do can harm you. To quote Eleanor Roosevelt, 'No one can make you feel inferior without your consent'." He smiled.

Danny held on tighter. "What's…what's your name?"

He gently pried off Danny's hand from his arm. "I'm Phantom. And THAT up there is Plasmius, who I have to go fight now to keep him from killing people so I'll talk to you later." He started to lift into the air.

"Wait—your cloak?!" Danny gripped the cloak.

The ghost teen smiled at him. "Keep it. I'll create a new one." As if to demonstrate, a cloak appeared around his shoulders and then he was flying off. "Remember, don't let what they say affect you! There is so much to live for!" He called as he flew off.

"Phantom…" Danny gripped the cloak, noting the dull, white glow it still retained. Unlike the other ghosts, Phantom's glow was white instead of green. It comforted him, somehow, and gave him hope.

"Son, why are you doing out here so late?" He heard a man say, and looked over to see a policeman patrolling the park. "Why are you alone?"

"I…I ran away from home." Danny admitted, looking down. "I just needed…some time alone."

"Well, let's get you back home." The man offered his hand. Danny took it, looking over his shoulder at green and red lights in the distant sky over Amity Park.


	2. Ch2: Savior

Chapter Two: Savior

Strange, as long as he wore the cloak he didn't even feel the pain he usually did from all the hurtful words. Dash's shoving him around didn't even affect him, until they tried to take the cloak. That's when he snapped and slugged Dash, earning a few more beatings before he was left on the ground outside school, clutching the cloak close.

"Kch. Fine, keep your girly white cloak." Dash huffed, turning to go. He gasped and backed up when his eyes met green ones framed by white bangs. "Uh…you didn't see nothin', got it?"

"Oh, please." The stronger laughed a bit, and Danny slowly opened his eyes to see Phantom in front of Dash. Was he…dreaming? "You really think you can harm me? I'm not here to talk to you, so shove off before I make you."

"Oh yeah? Take this!" Dash swung a fist, but it just went through Phantom's chest. He raised an eyebrow and Dash stepped back. "Uh…"

"My turn yet?" Phantom lifted Dash into the air effortlessly and carried him up to the flagpole, hooking him on by his coat. "Now, how do you like being treated this way? It sucks, doesn't it?"

"L-L-Let me down!" Dash pleaded. "Please! I'm scared!"

"I'll let you down, if you promise to NEVER hurt another person again." Phantom said firmly. "And if I find out you lied, you'll be in worse trouble then you're in right now."

Dash nodded frantically. "I promise, I promise! I won't hurt anyone ever again!" He cried.

"Well, self-defense is fine. Just don't do it out of spite or something." Phantom lifted him off and lowered him to the ground. Dash landed, kissed the ground, and ran off screaming. "Well, I guess he'll be telling people about me." Phantom remarked, then turned towards Danny. "You're the kid from last night."

Danny nodded, slowly standing up. "I-I forgot tell you. I'm…Danny. Danny Fenton." He coughed, blood hitting the ground.

Phantom's gaze darkened, his eyes flashing red. "I should've done more to him." He muttered, flying over and landing beside Danny. "C'mon, let's get you taken care of." He looked around, biting his lip. "I lost track of Plasmius…damn it, he must be in his human form right now. Stupid bully, distracting me…" He muttered, lifting Danny into his arms.

Danny curled up against Phantom's chest, vaguely hearing what he said. Something about his archenemy, human form, and bully. He started to doze up, but a sharp jostle woke him up quickly. "Wha-huh?"

"Don't sleep. Not until I've taken care of you." They seemed to be going right through objects and buildings, unseen by anyone or anything. "Talk to me; who was that kid?"

"D-Dash Baxter. He's my schoolmate." Danny said, coughing a bit. "He's always….always wailing on me for things that went wrong for him."

"Alright. What about your friends? Where were they?" Phantom asked as they phased through another building. He thought he vaguely recognized it, but it was hard to say. Then they were going through something green and the world around them was purple and green and he could see people around.

"Phantom." They heard a voice said firmly. "What are you doing, bringing someone from the Real World in here? You know that's against the rules."

"To be frank, Walker, I don't care. He was _this_ close to becoming a ghost, and I need to take care of him. After all the favors I've done you, the least you can do is let me heal him before taking him home."

The white and black man scowled and gripped his hat with a frown. "Very well. Where's Plasmius?"

"I lost him after he turned into his human form." Phantom said, moving on. The man, Walker, followed along. "I don't need to be supervised, Walker."

"Just making sure he doesn't stay." Walker replied.

"And who do I look like? Skulker?" Phantom laughed a bit. "I don't keep trophies."

Skulker…the name was familiar. Danny knew it from somewhere…his dad had talked about him, maybe? Yeah, some dangerous hunter ghost… He slowly woke up a little more again and saw them approaching a pure white castle.

They entered the door and then he was flown up and around until he was laid on a bed, Phantom quickly unzipping Danny's coat. As he was jostled around and stripped naked, Danny saw the man, Walker, stand by the door to watch. "D-Does he…have to stay?"

"Can't exactly tell him 'no'." Phantom sighed, going to a closet and bringing out a bottle of something green. "Hopefully this will work on humans."

Danny knew what that was – ectoplasm! "W-Wait…the infection…"

"It's pure." Phantom assured him. "Impure ectoplasm harms me, so I need to purify it before I can use it." He poured out a bit into his hands and started to rub it onto the wounds gently.

"Ah…ngh!" Danny winced in pain. "S-Stop touching them!"

"Relax." Phantom said firmly. "The pure ectoplasm will heal your wounds inside and out, so calm down."

Danny nodded, looking up at his savior with shaking eyes. "Where…where am I?"

"The Ghost Zone." Phantom replied. "Humans aren't supposed to come here, but I had no other choice."

The Ghost Zone? As in…the _GHOST ZONE_?! That place beyond his parents' freakish portal that keeps spewing out ghosts every so often? THAT Ghost Zone?! Danny paled and looked at the man, Walker, again. "I-Is he also a ghost, then?"

"Yes, everyone who lives here is a ghost." Phantom replied, then scowled. "Everyone but Plasmius. He's only half a ghost; a halfa."

"What's the other half?" Danny asked. Huh, he was actually starting to feel a lot better.

"Human. He's a human that got caught up in a freak accident twenty years ago." Phantom replied.

"Why…do you fight him?" Danny asked.

"I make it my business to stop violent ghosts from attacking humans. Usually I only go for ghosts, but Plasmius is a very violent and very special case." Phantom looked at Danny. "You never told me about your friends."

Danny's eyes quivered and he looked away. "I don't know if I have any…I think I pissed them off by crying all the time."

Phantom paused in his rubbing and leaned over to kiss Danny's forehead. "Well, we'll talk to them tomorrow. For now, you can rest now. The wounds aren't too severe, but I want to get you fully healed and people heal best when they sleep."

Danny nodded, closing his eyes. "Thank you, Phantom. You're a true hero..." He said softly as he let sleep take him away finally.

Phantom smiled and gently rubbed the pure ectoplasm into the wounds. "I'm just doing my duty, Danny."

He woke up in his own room, his schoolbag next to his bed and his mother looking in worriedly. Phantom's cloak was folded on the bed next to him with a note that said "Don't worry; keep looking forward to the future and the world will be brighter. ~ P".


	3. Ch3: Ghosts

Chapter Three: Ghosts

"Geez, you'd think Dash had seen a ghost from the way he's been jumping at every sound. Especially when he sees you, Danny!" Tucker said as Danny walked with his two friends.

"Maybe he has." Danny smiled, touching the cloak he always wore around his shoulders.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Alright, what's going on? 'Fess up, Danny."

"Let's just say that not _all_ ghosts are bad." Danny said, opening his locker and putting his bag in. The bell rang and he hurried to class with his books, the other two following close behind.

"Alright, we're going to be making reports on this book next week, so I want you all to thoroughly read it before returning every single copy to me." Mr. Lancer said, patting a box on his desk as they all sat down. "And I want them in the condition they were when I left it." He opened the box and then let out a cry of terror as a blue ghost in overalls came out.

"BEWARE! I AM THE BOX GHOST!" The ghost yelled. "I HAVE POWER OVER ALL CONTAINERS, CARDBOARD OR SQUARE!" He looked towards the class, grinning. "BEWARE!" He raised his hands in a threatening way.

"Will you shut up?!" They heard a voice say, and then a white-haired figure was flying through the wall, punching the box ghost. "God, you're so annoying! You have hundreds of boxes; leave the ones in the Real World alone!"

"Phantom." Danny breathed.

"NEVER!" The Box Ghost declared loudly. "YOU CANNOT FORCE ME AWAY FROM THAT WHICH IS MINE, CHILD!"

"Wanna bet?" Phantom punched his fist into his hand, green blasts appearing in his hands.

Suddenly, the Box Ghost didn't look so confident anymore. He turned to Mr. Lancer, screamed "BEWARE!" and then was flying through the wall with Phantom in pursuit.

"….Well. That happened." Sam commented as the class slowly got over the fact that they just witnessed two ghosts arguing over whether they would be attacked or not. Dash seemed to be having a lot of trouble getting over it and kept looking towards where Phantom had come out of the wall and Danny was smiling dreamily at the same spot. "Danny? You alright?"

"Mmhm." Danny nodded, looking to the front.

"Dude, you okay?" Tucker asked.

"I'm fine, guys." Danny smiled, touching his cloak. "Just fine."

The two exchanged look and decided to drop it for now. The rest of the lesson went smoothly, and at lunchtime Danny was confronted by the two. "Alright, tell us what happened." Sam said as she set down her food, Tucker sitting on the other side of Danny.

"Yeah, dude. The white-haired guy had the same cloak as you, do you know him?" Tucker asked, taking a bite of his food.

"Swallow before talking, Tucker." Sam grimaced.

"Okay, alright. I'll tell." Danny sighed. "A couple nights ago, I was in a real bad spot. Felt useless, worthless, and like no one cared."

"We care, Danny." Sam frowned, placing her hand on his.

"Yeah, but that's just how I was feeling that night. I went to the top of the courthouse and…well, I jumped. I was that bad. Phantom, the white-haired guy, caught me and talked to me a while before he took off in search of his archenemy, leaving me his cloak. And yesterday, he was looking around for his archenemy when he saw me being bullied by Dash and taught Dash a lesson. He didn't hurt him, just hung him by his coat on the flagpole. Then he took me to his home and treated my wounds, but I fell asleep and woke up in my room. Anyway, that's how I met him. He quite honestly saved my life, in all meanings of the phrase." Danny took a bite of his food, letting them take it all in.

"But, dude…you're terrified of ghosts." Tucker frowned.

"Yeah, I know. But, I'm not scared of Phantom. I don't know why." Danny smiled. "He gives me hope, and I feel strong when wearing his cloak."

Sam smiled. "Well, I'm glad that he managed to do what we couldn't, Danny. I'm sorry we weren't a better help, even though we're supposed to be your best friends."

"Yeah, dude. Sorry." Tucker hugged him, Sam doing the same from the other side.

Danny smiled and hugged them back, his arms around them. None of them saw the invisible green-eyed figure give an approving smile before he flew off.

They walked home together after school, Tucker jokingly tugging on the cloak and Danny throwing pretend punches whenever he did while Sam laughed and told them to knock it off.

"Hey, wanna head to the Nasty Burger?" Tucker asked. "They're doing a special today, three Nasty Burgers for the price of one!"

"Alright, I'm sold." Danny laughed. "I just gotta be back home by 10 o'clock, or dad will have a fit."

"We know, we know." Sam and Tucker said in unison.

They heard a screech from above and looked up to see a green vulture in a fez flying at them. "Ah!" Danny used the cloak to try to hide them, but looked up when he heard something being whacked.

"Where's Plasmius? Talk!" Danny gasped, seeing Phantom roughly shaking the vulture.

"I don't gotta tell you nothing, Ghost Boy!" The vulture said, struggling to escape his grasp. "I just gotta do my job!"

"And your job involves diving at schoolchildren now?" Phantom raised an eyebrow. "What is Plasmius planning?!"

"Hug-guk!" The vulture struggled to get away.

Phantom looked at Danny. "You might want to get out of here."

"Uh, okay." Danny nodded, the three started to run. They stopped and screamed when a man appeared in front of them, looking very much like a vampire. "Phantom, help!"

Phantom released the vulture and flew over, landing in front of the teens. "Plasmius! What are you doing now?!"

"I don't see how that's any of your business, boy." The man said, smirking. "Unless you intend to stop me again?"

"You bet I do." Phantom formed blasts in his hands and fired them at the man. He dodged the first, but the next one hit and he let out a hiss before lifting into the air. "What are you planning?"

"If you _really_ want to know, stick around and enjoy the show!" Plasmius laughed as he flew off, going invisible as he did. The vulture followed suit, and soon the four teens were alone.

"Uh…" Tucker blinked.

Phantom looking over at them, his stern expression softening into a smile. "You guys alright? Sorry about him, I have no idea why he would send his vultures after you."

"Well, you wanna come with us to the Nasty Burger to show our thanks?" Tucker grinned. "My treat!"

"I don't really _need_ to eat…but I guess I can accompany you if it's not too crowded. I _am_ a ghost, after all." Phantom pulled the hood on his cloak over his head, and it seemed to mask his aura a little.

"So, what's the guy's deal, anyway?" Danny asked as they walked on. "That guy, uh…"

"Plasmius." Phantom reminded him. "He's…well, a vengeful halfa. He's been building up his power and money as a human while building up his power as a ghost and plotting to get back at the man who 'ruined his life'."

"What's a 'halfa'?" Danny asked.

Phantom's lip curled in disgust. "A 'halfa' is a person who is half-human and half-ghost. They think they're above the laws of both worlds, and use their ghost powers to do wicked deeds." He shrugged. "At least, that's the definition after Plasmius came to be. We've never had a halfa before, to be honest."

"Wow…" Tucker blinked. "So, uh, Phantom? How come you were here just now?"

"Because I was tailing the vulture." Phantom replied. "What, you don't think I was stalking Danny, do you?"

"Uh...yes, actually." Tucker laughed.

"No, no I wasn't. I was doing my job and trying to locate Plasmius and find out why he came to this city." Phantom sighed heavily. "But I let him slip away and I have no clue what he's planning or why he would attack you guys!"

"Well, you said that an accident changed him." Danny offered. "Any idea about the details?"

"No, just a name he kept grumbling about." Phantom admitted. "'Jack Fenton'."

Danny stopped short. "What?"

Phantom looked at him. "What was your full name again?"

"Danny Fenton." Danny paled. "Oh my god. Dad!"

"Shit, no wonder he was after you guys! He was aiming for Danny!" Phantom slapped his palm to his head. "We have to go to Danny's home." He flew off, Danny following him.

"So…no Nasty Burger?" Tucker asked.

"Tucker!" Sam scolded.

"Right, sorry!" Tucker said as he and Sam gave chase.


	4. Ch4: Plasmius

Chapter Four: Plasmius

"Dad!" Danny burst open his front door, running in. "Dad, are you here?"

"Danny, what's wrong?" Jack Fenton came up from the lab, followed by his wife Maddie.

"A-A ghost…he kept saying your name…said he was g-gonna…" Danny clung to his father. "W-We have to get out of here!"

"Calm down, Danny. What do you mean 'a ghost'? Who?" Jack asked, holding his trembling son in his arms.

Danny looked out the door, where he had last seen Phantom get intercepted by other ghosts and stopped to fight them. "I-I think he was c-called Plas—"

"Vladimir Plasmius." They all froze as a high voice spoke, Plasmius appearing in their living room. "I've come to take your life, Jack Fenton." He formed an attack.

"No!" Danny cried, clinging to his father. The blast was fired and the three cowered together, but found they hadn't been hit. Danny looked up to find Phantom in front of them, a green shield held up in front of him.

"Ghost!" Jack gasped.

"I'll keep him busy; you guys get out of here!" Phantom yelled over his shoulder.

"No! You will not stop me this time, Phantom!" Plasmius roared, clones of him appearing around them. They fired blasts, and Phantom grit his teeth and expanded the shield to protect them on all sides. "No!" Plasmius strengthened his attack.

"Cujo, I need help!" Phantom yelled. A little green dog came out of the lab and changed giant, charging at Plasmius.

"Get off me!" Plasmius yelled. He was pinned to the floor, and as he was beaten down white rings started to appear around his body before they disappeared and he threw Cujo off. "Fine! You win this time, boy, but I WILL have the Fentons!" He scowled and pointed at them before flying off.

"Cujo!" Phantom smiled and dropped the shield, the dog turning small and jumping into his outstretched arms. "Oh, who's a good boy? Who's a good boy? You are!" He rubbed and scratched at the dog, apparently ignoring the humans for the time being.

"Hey!" Jack snapped.

Phantom looked at him, seeing the gun trained on his person. "You're welcome, by the way." He said dryly, setting Cujo down. Cujo ran down into the lab, most likely into the ghost portal.

"I don't trust you. No ghost would have any good reason to protect a human!" Jack took off the safety.

"Dad, no!" Danny ran over and stood between the gun and Phantom. "He's my friend! And he saved us!"

"Friend? But, Danny…he's a ghost." Maddie stepped forward.

"He saved my life, and has been there for me ever since!" Danny cried, tears forming in his eyes. "Don't hurt him!"

"But, he's a _ghost_." Jack stressed.

"He's not like the scary ghost lady, though!" Danny cried.

'Ghost lady?' Phantom thought. 'Okay, who was it? Ember? Spectra? Kitty? All of the above? Now, _that's_ scary.'

Jack pursed his lips tightly and lowered the gun, putting the safety back on. "Fine. You get to live, ghost."

"Phantom." Phantom said calmly. "My name is 'Phantom'."

"Danny, you alright?" Tucker cried as he and Sam finally reached the house. "Sorry we're late we—whoa."

"You're late." Phantom smiled.

"Yeah, I said that." Tucker walked in. "Uhm…what happened here? There's scorch-marks on the floor and walls."

"Plasmius happened." Phantom looked at the Fentons again. "You might want to warn any other family members about this. Plasmius is relentless."

"But why? What does he want with us?" Maddie demanded.

"That halfa is out for revenge for the accident that changed him into what he is." Phantom replied firmly. "An accident that was caused, he feels, by your husband. And since you're his targets, I suppose I'm going to be guarding your family."

"By yourself?" Danny blinked.

"I have a few allies that might be able to help." Phantom said thoughtfully, walking over and picking up a family photo. 'Four family members…' He thought. 'Maybe I can get Johnny 13 to guard the daughter; he'll fit in okay at her age group. I can guard the parents, and maybe Cujo can guard Danny.' He glanced at them. "Where's your daughter?"

"She's out at the lib—how do you know I have a daughter?" Maddie demanded.

Phantom pointedly held up the photo. "Alright, so I'm going to get an ally to guard your daughter and I'll guard you while Cujo protects Danny."

Jack pursed his lips. "I don't need a guard, I just need a weapon. And Danny is more important than me, anyway."

"Not to Plasmius, he's not." Phantom shook his head. "He's just a means to an end for Plasmius."

"I still want you guarding him instead of the dog. Maddie and I will have weapons and sleep in shifts." Jack said firmly.

Phantom sighed and then brought his fingers to his lips, whistling twice. Cujo came running out again excitedly and Phantom knelt next to him. "Find Johnny 13. He'll know what it means and come find me." He told Cujo, and then the ghost dog was scrambling back into the lab.

"Who's Johnny 13?" Sam asked as Phantom stood up.

"Someone who owes me a lot of favors." Phantom replied.

"Hey, do you know who Plasmius used to be?" Maddie asked. "And what's a 'halfa'?"

"A 'halfa' is someone who is half-human and half-ghost." Phantom turned to her. "Yes, I know who he used to be, because he still IS him. Does the name 'Vlad Masters' ring any bells?"

Maddie dropped her gun in shock.

"Vladdy?" Jack breathed, his eyes widening. "He wants…to kill me?"

Phantom nodded. Danny pursed his lips, wanting to ask who Vlad Masters was, but afraid to bring it up.


	5. Ch5: Guardian

Chapter Five: Guardian

Phantom sat outside the house with Danny, waiting for Jasmine to get back from the library. They heard the roar of a motorcycle and he raised an eyebrow, seeing it approach the house. "Johnny 13."

"Thanks for the ride, John." Jasmine said, hoping off the back and heading inside, halting at Danny's raised eyebrow. "What? My car's in the shop, and he said he was heading this way anyway."

"You do know that's a ghost, right?" Danny asked.

"…No?" Jasmine looked over at Phantom and Johnny 13.

"Good thing you picked her up." Phantom said, nodding. "I need you to be her bodyguard, Plasmius is targeting this family."

"That halfa?" Johnny 13 scowled. "What's he up to now?"

"Revenge." Phantom shrugged. "So, I need your help."

"You know I can't refuse you, not after all the times you've helped me." Johnny 13 turned off his bike and climbed off. "How long is this going to go on?"

"Until we beat Plasmius and force him back into hiding." Phantom replied. "His vultures are around, so keep an eye on the sky. And they seem to know his human form, which works in our favor."

"Yeah." Johnny nodded, then looked at Danny. "Why is he wearing your cloak?"

"Because I gave it to him." Phantom replied.

"Dude, that's a part of you. Part of your DNA. You're not supposed to carelessly give it away to any random kid!" Johnny sighed heavily.

"I'm not. Danny isn't 'any random kid'." Phantom replied firmly.

"Wait, wait. Is _this_ the kid you took into the Ghost Zone? 'Cause _everyone_ is talking about it." Johnny grinned.

"It's not _like _that. I was just worried for him." Phantom huffed.

Danny was starting to wonder if he was missing something, but at Jasmine's urging he went inside with her.

"So, we have…ghosts…in our house?" Jasmine whispered to him once they were inside.

"Yeah." Danny nodded. "They're nice, though."

"I thought…y'know, after the incident with that woman when you were younger you were terrified of ghosts?" Jasmine frowned.

"Been meaning to ask about that." Phantom said as he and Johnny entered.

"Y-You heard?!" Jasmine gasped.

"Ghosts have heightened senses." Johnny said simply.

"So, Danny, which of the women do I have to tell off for scaring you?" Phantom asked.

"Uhm…" Danny pursed his lips. "I don't know her name…she was scary…and tall. And she made me feel really, really sad and angry after she talked with me, and I felt my energy being drained away as the sadness took over. I'm surprised she wasn't there two days ago when I…" He faltered.

"Spectra?" Johnny looked at Phantom.

"Spectra." Phantom sighed heavily. "That woman feeds on despair like it's candy. Well, she won't be messing with you again."

"What happened two days ago?" Jasmine asked quietly.

Danny just shook his head. "Doesn't matter. I'm past it, that's all that matters." He replied quietly.

"Kids? Come to dinner." Maddie called from the kitchen.

"Coming!" They called in unison.

They were silent as they ate, only Danny trying to start up awkward conversation. They were all feeling the irony of ghost-hunters being protected by ghosts from a crazy half-ghost. Jazz was having to stomach the fact that ghosts were real and the "ghost" from Danny's traumatic childhood was actually a ghost and not a child-molester.

Phantom and Johnny stood in the kitchen, watching them closely. A blue mist escaped Phantom's lips and he stepped away from the wall. "Someone's here."

"Go check it out, I'll be here." Johnny nodded. Phantom nodded and flew out.

"What was that? That mist thing?" Danny asked Johnny.

"Hm? Oh, that's his special 'ghost sense'." Johnny nodded. "It helps him detect the nearby presence of ghosts in the Real World."

"Wow." Danny nodded. "That's pretty cool. So, what else do you know about him?"

"Not much." Johnny admitted. "Even though he's one of the few I can call a 'friend', he doesn't talk much about his life before. His castle appeared one day in the Ghost Zone and then we saw him dragging back a weaker ghost through the portal you guys opened." He pointed towards the lab. "He's a weird kind of ghost, really. And if we had any knowledge of his life before, it might help us understand why he does what he does."

"Maybe I can get him to tell me tonight." Danny smiled.

"Don't get your hopes up. We've been trying for years." Johnny shrugged.

Phantom came back, dusting off his hands. "Stupid birds, don't they ever shut up? I swear they're worse than the Box Ghost."

"_Nothing_ is worse than the Box Ghost." Johnny groaned.

"Yeah, you're right." Phantom nodded.

Danny chuckled. "Wasn't that the ghost who showed up in class today?"

"Yeah." Phantom glanced at him. "Are you sure your friends were okay going home alone?"

"Plasmius is after us, not them." Danny nodded. "They're safer away from me."

Phantom nodded. "That's true."

Danny got out of his chair. "Hey, why do you help humans so much?"

Jack and Maddie glanced over, apparently wanting to hear the reason. Phantom frowned and closed his eyes. "In life…I failed to save many people. It was my duty to protect them and I failed, dying in the process. That's why I protect people from hostile ghosts now." He opened his eyes. "Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

Johnny clearly wanted to know more, but since the humans were satisfied he kept quiet.

"Danny, you need to rest for school tomorrow." Phantom said, raising an eyebrow at Danny still not laying down. "Did you finish your homework?"

"Er…most of it." Danny admitted. "I can finish the rest before school starts; if you promise to wake me up before it's time for me to go."

"I'll try." Phantom shrugged, leaning against the wall.

Danny nodded and started to change for bed. Phantom averted his eyes, a green tinge on his cheeks, but Danny didn't seem to notice. "Hey, can you tell me a bedtime story?"

"What are you, eight?" Phantom chuckled a bit. "No, no. No bedtime story, just go to sleep."

"Aww." Danny climbed under the covers and turned off his lamp, smiling at the soft glow Phantom gave off. "Good night, Phantom."

Phantom nodded, looking at him. "Sleep well, Danny."

Danny smiled and curled up, holding the cloak close. It made Phantom's cold core heat up a little, but he quickly mentally squashed it. Danny was living, and a young boy besides. He was dead, and while they were the same age physically he was much older in comparison.

And there was also the "both boys" factor…


End file.
